“It is deeply disturbing that a government advisor once again uses such offensive language – this time even sharing unashamedly bigoted ideas such as the “invasion of huge tribes of Muslims” as part of his defence of the far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“The normalisation of such Islamophobic ideas, which are used by terrorists, is dangerous, and it is even more worrying that his appointment and views have been previously defended by senior Conservatives, including a government minister.
“As the Conservative Party faces its latest crisis on Islamophobia, it cannot continue with false promises to take the issue seriously whilst retaining people such as Mr Scruton as a government advisor.
“The reality is that these concerns will continue to recur until trust is re-built through – in part – an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Party.”
“While we welcome the action taken by the government, there are serious questions to answer as to why Mr Scruton was appointed in the first place. It is not the first time he has expressed Islamophobic views. This is yet another indication that the Conservative Party has yet to get a grip on Islamophobia. Nothing short of an independent inquiry will do.”